The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1887-12-14
The LUMBER INDUSTRY.
THE WORK DONE IN A NORTH
WESTERN LOGGING CAMP.

rhe Hardy Iioggers-A Camps Out
fit-Amuscmcnts OF the Men-The
Work They DO.
The logging crews scattered through
the numbering camps OF the Northwest
are more dstinctively a class than can be
found elsewhere on the continent. Any
thing will do for a cowboy OF miner,
but it takes a man of great strength and
endurance to make typical logger. II
| wanted to raise an army of ten It ou-
sand men who would rather fight than
run, and who would not care to eat until
they had fogged the enemy, would
take them from the forests rather than
from the plains or the mines. Yet in
many TAys these boys Of the camps
are as IRREGULAR in their habits as are
those of the corral. For fifty years an
army Of these men have been earning
and receivi high wages for their work,
aud yet il is "a e TO say that not one in
twenty of them has ever been benefited
by his labor. They go into camp often
In the early autumn, and submit to en-
forced temperance until spring, and come
out with several hundred dollars each.
They "strike" town, and in a night, 8
day, or week, . the last dollar has
dropped into the hands of some rum
sell r OF the keeper of some vi resort,
and they wander off to find something
to do that will bring them living until
they go into camp again.
The logging camp is q world in itself.
1t varies in size with the number OF men
10 be kept, and thL. depends upon the
quantity Of timber 70 be cut in season.
In locating camp, tie object is to get
as near to tine work as possible, and yet
secure water and desirable site. That
done, the ground is cleared and the long
trunks notched and laid in walls that are
rooted with rough boards that are in
turn covered with tarred paper. The
seg. raj buildings are 1.-THE men camp
1.-THE kitchen, 'the Office" 1.-THE stable
''the granary," and 1.-The shop" in which
the blacksmith and the ca penter look
after the horses feet, cant hooks, peevies,
sleighs, drags, swamp hooks, chains, and
whippetiees. In the center of the mems
camp stands a huge stove; overhead
hang poles across which the men tn ow
their wet socks and nit ems to dry;
around the walls are the "bunks," made
of rough boards and ar anged in tiers
two or three deep. and in corner con.
We ient to the door is the wooI-pile. In
this amp, supper over and the pipes all
in bloom, may be seen tie romance Of
the logger's life. AS rule. these men
have had little or no education. The
.tellect of the place is sharpened only in
the direction of inventing new words.
phrases, and drives" that shall win ap.
plause and secure a laugh ON some vic.
TIM. When chatting pals, out comes
trf.. lin A,,t. I, all sNN
them, and there is music and dancing,
games, sparring, and the nois est, rough.
est, but best-natured fun ever found
among uncultured men, until the houI
arrives Wien the lights must go out.
The first work is making "skidways, :"
on which the logs are to be piled fol-
loading upon cars or sleighs. If the logs
are to be 'Oanked' by teams, crew Of
men begin, when camp opens in Sep.
tember, to make the road from camp to
river. This is work that requires skill,
as hills must be avoided, and as nearly
as possible dead level maintained. The
wu must be finished in time ior the
frost to get its proper work done in solid
flying the bottom, especially in swampy
lands, of which there are many to cross
When snow falls it is tramped and
sprinkled with water, until the bed has
become mass of ice. Tha is a gooC
rad. Then comes the hauling, which
is the most dangerous part of the work
Where the logs are hauled by trains anC
locomotives all the old work of road
making and teaming is avoided. Blu
the advent of the locomotive and tn
logging railroad in the forests has de
2,Ss.eA -. Ess.sh of the romance of the lif
-1uestHg thousa nnit1 haa, - = ed much tn
sanfoS- -. = ->sis. lotlow the a Iandon
ment Of their old covered wagons
horses, and camp-tires by the gypies for tn
modern method of travelling by specia
train. But so 1t must he. AS the timbe
line retreats from the streams the expens
Of banking increases, and so railroad
come in as the natural solution OF tina
problem. Theu also forest fires are annu
ally killing more or less pine that mus
be cut at once in order to save it. Wher
there are railroads, such burned timbe
may be delivered at will, and cut u
almost before it has grown cold. l
lower Michigan, where the logging raj
road is most to be found, about one -thir
Of the log product of 1886 was hauled b
engines. The quantity moved 10y rail i
1881 is already far in excess of last year
total
The pine lumber product of Michigan
Wisconsin aud Mime .ota in 1886 was, i
round numbers, 1000, 600, 900 feet. 7
obtain that lumber the pine timber VIZ
logged clean from $50 square miles {
forest. The live pine still standing
these three states is estimated at / %
600, 900, 600 feet, worth $3.50, 000, 0C
now. In twenty years the half, or NOR
will have been cut, but the remand,
will be worth half billion dollars
Harper's Weekly.